Ph.D. (1995)
Wesleyan

Rulang Jiang

Associate Professor of Biomedical Genetics in the Center for Oral Biology; Associate Professor of Biology; Associate Professor of Dentistry

Primary Appointment:
Department of Biomedical Genetics

Secondary Appointments:
Department of Biology;
Department of Dentistry

Center Affiliation:
Center for Oral Biology

Graduate Program Affiliations:
BMCB - Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology
GGD - Genetics, Genomics and Development
PWD - Pathways of Human Disease

Research:
Molecular Genetic Analysis of Craniofacial Development and Birth Defects

Contact Information:
E-Mail: Rulang_Jiang@urmc.rochester.edu

University of Rochester
School of Medicine and Dentistry
601 Elmwood Ave, Box 611
Rochester, New York 14642

Office: KMRB G-9633
Phone: (585) 273-1426
Lab: KMRB G-9838
Lab Phone: (585) 273-1422

Research Overview

Craniofacial malformations, including cleft lip and palate, are common disfiguring birth defects in humans, occurring at a frequency of approximately 1 in 600 infants. The causes of such birth defects are complex, involving multiple genetic and environmental factors. To gain a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying normal craniofacial development and the pathogenic processes leading to congenital craniofacial malformations, we are using a combination of genetic, biochemical, and embryological approaches to analyze craniofacial development in the model mammalian system, the laboratory mice. We are using both forward and reverse genetic approaches to investigate the molecular mechanisms of craniofacial birth defects. The forward genetic approach involves identification of causal genes and molecular pathways disrupted by uncharacterized mutations that cause craniofacial malformations including cleft lip and/or cleft palate (e.g., we recently positionally cloned the classic orofacial cleft mutation Dancer), whereas the reverse genetic approach involves generation and analyses of mice carrying null or conditional mutations using the Cre/loxP-mediated gene targeting techniques. Current gene targeting projects focus on investigating the roles of transcription factors and signaling molecules exhibiting tissue specific expression patterns during craniofacial development. In the last few years, we have analyzed more than five different mutant mouse strains with craniofacial developmental defects. Using these mutant mouse models, we are attempting to delineate the molecular pathways and to identify novel genes that interact with known critical regulators of craniofacial development using genetic modifier screening, genomic manipulations, microarray-based gene expression profiling, as well as protein-protein interaction studies. These studies are providing new insights into the molecular genetic mechanisms underlying human craniofacial development and birth defects.

Publications

Recent Publications:

Lan, Y., Ovitt, C. E., Cho, E.-S., Maltby, K. M., Wang, Q., and Jiang, R.
(2004). Odd-skipped related 2 (Osr2) encodes a key intrinsic regulator of
secondary palate growth and morphogenesis. Development 131:3207-3216.

Bush, J. O., Lan, Y., and Jiang, R. (2004). The cleft lip and palate defects
in the Dancer mutant mice result from gain of function of the Tbx10 gene.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 101:7022-7027.

Hadland, B. K., Huppert, S., Kanungo, J., Xue, Y., Jiang, R., Gridley, T.,
Colon, R. A., Cheng, A. M., Kopan, R. and Longmore, G. D. (2004). A
requirement for Notch1 distinguishes two phases of definitive hematopoiesis
during development. Blood 104:3097-3105.

Alappat, S. R., Zhang, Z., Suzuki, K., Zhang, X., Jiang, R., Yamada, G. and
Chen, Y. (2005). The cellular and molecular etiology of cleft secondary
palate in Fgf10 mutant mice. Developmental Biology 277:102-113.

Knight, A. S., Schutte, B. C., Jiang, R. and Dixon, M. J. (2005).
Developmental expression analysis of the mouse and chick orthologues of
IRF6: the gene mutated in Van der Woude syndrome. Developmental Dynamics
235:1441-1447.

Wang, Q., Lan, Y., Cho, E.-S., Maltby, K. M. and Jiang, R. (2005).
Odd-skipped related 1 (Odd1) is an essential regulator of heart and
urogenital development. Developmental Biology 288:582-594.

Vieira, A.R., Avila, J. R., Daack-Hirsch, S., Dragan, E., Felix, T. M.,
Rahimov, F., Harrington, J., Schultz, R.R., Watanabe, Y., Johnson, M., Fang,
J., O1Brien, S.E., Orioli, I.M., Castilla, E.E., FitzPatrick, D.R., Jiang,
R., Marazita, M.L. and Murray, J.C. (2005). Direct sequencing of candidate
genes for nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate. PLOS Genetics 1:e64.

Jiang, R., Bush, J. O. and Lidral, A. C. (2006). Development of the upper
lip: morphogenetic and molecular mechanisms. Developmental Dynamics
235:1152-1166.

Liu, H., Liu, W., Maltby, K. M., Lan, Y. and Jiang, R. (2006).
Identification and developmental expression analysis of a novel homeobox
gene closely linked to the mouse Twirler mutation. Gene Expression Patterns
(Mechanisms of Development) 6:632-636.

Lan, Y., Ryan, R. C., Zhang, Z., Bush, J. O., Maltby, K. M., Bullard, S. A.,
Lidral, A. C. and Jiang, R. (2006). Expression of Wnt9b and activation of
canonical Wnt signaling during midfacial morphogenesis in mice.
Developmental Dynamics 235:1448-1454.

Casey, L. M., Lan, Y., Cho, E.-S., Maltby, K. M., Gridley, T. and Jiang, R.
(2006). Jag2-Notch1 signaling regulates oral epithelial differentiation and
palate development. Developmental Dynamics 235:1830-1844.

James, R.G., Kamei, C.N., Wang, Q., Jiang, R., and Schultheiss, T.M. (2006).
Odd-skipped related 1 is required for development of the metanephric kidney
and regulates formation and differentiation of kidney precursor cells.
Development 15:2995-3004.

Chen, J., Bush, J.O., Ovitt, C.E., Lan, Y. and Jiang, R. (2007). The
TGF-beta pseudoreceptor gene Bambi is dispensable for mouse embryonic
development and postnatal survival. Genesis, in press.

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